OSS
by Pen to Paper Writer
Summary: War is threatening the US. Richard Rodgers is a dedicated man, but what will happen when he learns the truth about his father's death? Will he avenge his death or will he become vindictive. Follow Rick in a battle of the minds and see how he gets justice from those who took his father from him.
1. Chapter 1

Littleton, New Hampshire. It's a town nestled in the White mountains of New Hampshire. Basically, it's a logging town and as well as points north and east like Whitefield, Gorham, N.H. and Bethel, Maine. This is where our story starts.

It's 1917 and Martha Rodgers is hoping that her husband can make it back up north in time to see or even take part of their son's birth. It is the turn of a new century and she hopes that men have at least changed their views on childbirth. Although she doubts it men being as stubborn as they are. He has been assigned to the duty of coordinating the battle plan of the new tank division led by Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Swinton. The American Army has just been drawn into the first world war. And her husband is responsible for many men, keeping them alive is his top priority. It's being hailed as the great war and the war to end all wars. And as she breathes through another contraction she does not believe what these people are thinking. These are politicians and men of honor, there will never be a war to end all wars. They are kidding themselves if they think that.

As she works through one more contraction her doctor, an intern who is still in diapers himself she thinks tells her...

"Mrs. Rodgers I can see your baby's head. So all I will need is maybe one or two more good pushes and he should be here licklity split!"

Martha groans at the interns enthusiasm. He is too young to be looking at her lady parts. But she gives him what he asked for regardless. She pushes and her sons head is in the very capable hands of this intern. Just as he tells her that she needs to push once more the door to the birthing room swings open and there she sees her husband's face and she actually starts to break down even with everything that's going on around her.

"Oh James, thank god you made it!" Martha says through tear filled eyes.

"Martha I would not miss this for the world. Is it alright if I stay with you while you deliver our baby?"

"James I'm delivering our son, and yes you can stay. Please come in and hold my hand while the doctor delivers our son."

James walks into the small delivery room and quickly takes Martha's hand lending the support she needs to have a beautiful delivery. It's less than three minutes later and they both hear the cry of their baby boy. They are so happy. She is glad that her husband made it from Washington, DC where he was working with the Department of the Army to her bedside. However, she questions how long he will be with her. But still she is still happy he is there with her.

"Martha, look, he is so perfect."

"Yes, James I am so glad that you were able to be here with me."

"I am glad also. Martha, you are amazing this is a new experience and I hope men all over this country are able to be a part of this!"

They looked at their son before he is taken away and placed in a bassinet.

"Martha, have you decided on his name?

"James while it's proper to name him after a prominent male figure, I am hoping you are lenient and will agree with the name of Richard."

James looks to his wife and he can't agree with her more "Richard it is then it's such a strong name."

"Well James, I'm glad that you approve!"

Little Richard was in a way a hero, although it would take 28 years for him to realize that this was his destiny as he would be a service to his country that would never be surpassed.

Littleton was a great town to live in. Richard had lived there for all of his 12 years and he was really bored. Not bored, but lacking something to do, you see Richard loved to use his imagination. The year was 1929 and the great depression had taken a hold on the United States. He had no idea that people were selling apples on the street corners to survive. He was so sheltered from this because his mother had seen the signs before the collapse of the market and had her investments withdrawn before they were worth nothing. So while he was a child left to his own devices and he had many, he would put himself into various scenarios. There was one where he would be the commander of the allied forces in Europe. It was then when he would think about his father. His father was stationed in the middle of the war zone and he was the second in command of the tank divisions that attacked the Germans. The French and Russians were there to aide in his quest for victory, but when word had reached his mother that he was missing in action and presumed dead Richard took a new outlook on his life.

James Rodgers was a man who took life by the horns. He loved what he did in the Army. He had achieved the rank of Captain very quickly and had made it known that he was a force to be reckoned with. After the birth of his son Richard, he was granted a short furlough to be with his wife and new son. His son was his world. It was a great feeling for him that there was a child that would carry on the family name of Rodgers. But before too long his time with his family was coming to a close. He hated that he could not spend more time with Martha and little Richard but in order for the U.S. to achieve victory in this conflict, he would be needed in Washington DC and then possibly the front.

April 18, 1918, he was advised that the first tank battle had taken place in Villers-Bertoneux. He was not far from the small tank battle it seemed that the British army's MK-V's went up against a German A7-V. He was in Amiens and had decided that it would be a tactical advantage to see how the British had beat the Germans. It was then as he and his staff driver were heading out to the battle site that they were ambushed outside of Villers-Bertoneux. Six German soldiers and an officer had fired at the Sergent and killed him. The car took a hard right to the side of the road and then hit a tree. Within seconds, the German soldiers were at his car and the officer walked up to him and placed a knife to his throat.

"Kapitän, werde ich ihr Leben wie Sie Ihre Armee hat meinen Kameraden"

James had understood everything that the Officer was telling him. He then said to him

"Lieutenant während ich bin sympathisch mit dem Verlust ihrer Freunde ihre Todesfälle waren nicht in meiner Hand. Ich bin hier nur als Taktiker. Ich bin Sammeln von Fakten aus einer Schlacht vor nicht allzu langer Zeit."

("Lieutenant while I am sympathetic with the loss of your friends their deaths were not at my hand. I am here only as a tactician. I'm gathering facts from a battle not too long ago.")

"Sir, ich fürchte, das wird nicht möglich sein. Wir haben Ihre Fahrer und jetzt ist es durch Aufträge der Bundeskanzler, dass wir eliminieren die Gefahr jeder Allied Force versuchen, Fortschritte auf dem Weg zu deutschen Heimat."

("Sir, I'm afraid that that will not be possible. We have taken out your driver and now it's by orders of the Chancellor that we eliminate the threat of any allied force trying to advance towards the German homeland.")

Before James can tell the officer that he is not going to harm him in any way he feels the knife slice into the side of his neck and as he severs the artery that provides James with the life-supporting blood he needs to live. He thinks about Martha and his son Richard. He hopes that they will understand that he was trying to give them a better life by helping to end this conflict. Within minutes, James is no longer of this world. The German Officer drags him out of the car and places him along with his driver on a cross of sorts and hoists them up so all can see the wrath of the German Army. They are an unforgiving force. As the Officer turns to leave but before he does he says "Wir Barmherzigkeit, aber wir werden nicht danach fragen."

("We shall show mercy, but we shall not ask for it")


	2. Chapter 2

Richard Rodgers was a boy who could explain away the most terrible atrocities that the people of the world could think up. He had always thought that the great depression was caused by thrifty bankers who had withdrawn all their funds from the financial institutions and, in turn, desecrated the financial system of the country and left the more common people to fight for every scrap that they could get their hands on. The rich would only get richer and the poor would only starve. When he was old enough he had the idea in his head that his father was killed by either men of war or he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. So 20 years later he was always wondering if his own father had lived, who would he have become? If he made it through the war would he have kept his commission in the Army? Or would have he done something totally different with his life. Richard was raised by a mother who always stressed the pride and rewards in serving one's country in the military. Richard having reached his 21st birthday decided that enlisting in the Army was the most sensible and dedicated thing he could do. He would honor his father.

He excelled in his studies in grade school and was well on his way to becoming a 4.0 student in high school. He always loved solving a problem. He was always able to get outside of a problem, find a solution to it before anyone else ever thought of solving it like he just had. He was able to leave high school at the end of his third year. He was accepted to Dartmouth and along with his ability to solve problems, Richard could also decipher just about any code known to man. Be it numerical or alphanumeric. As he stands on the sidewalk in front of the armed forces recruiting storefront, he looks at the poster that hangs there in the window. There is a picture of a man and woman in a CD (civil defense) uniforms holding equipment watching Uncle Sam fire into the sky at bombers flying towards him. The caption says "New Hampshire needs Air Raid Wardens." As Richard turns away to enter the office he wonders how much they don't really know.

He swings the door open and enters the office and is met by a Master Sergeant. He is an older man but one that Richard thinks has seen more than his share of death and destruction to last a lifetime.

"Hello, son, What can I do for you?"

"Well Sir, I was thinking about enlisting." Richard says a little too quickly.

"Son, now are you sure you want to do this? You know that this is peacetime and there is no threat of war...at least not that I know of that is."

Richard extends his hand to shake with the Master Sergeant, which he gladly accepts.

"Master Sergeant my name is Richard Rodgers. I am aware that we are at peace now. However, I am here to honor my father. He was a Captain in the Great war. He died in France."

"Wait, did you say Rodgers?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"My GOD! Captain James Rodgers was your father?

"That's right sir."

"Well you see I served under Colonel Van Voorhis in with the First Armored Division in '32, and shortly after that, we became the 1st Cavalry Regiment. Your father's notes and diagrams became the standard in tank battle training. He was a visionary!"

"Sir, I am a bit lost. My father was killed while surveying one of the very first tank battles. I was told that his notes never made it out of France."

"Richard, that's not true. In his staff car in a hidden compartment, there were pages and pages of tactical drawings and notes showing each sides strengths and weaknesses. His notes were published into one of the Army's best tactical books for fighting tank battles."

"I had no idea."

"So Richard I'm not thinking that you want to be a foot soldier...do you?"

"As I see it, I want to do anything to serve my country. I will never look down on a man who want's to defend his country."

The Master Sergeant takes Richard to a testing room and gives him an advanced aptitude test. He leaves him to the test telling him that he will be back in an hour.

He starts the test when the Master Sergeant leaves. The usual boxes need to be filled out name, date of birth, height, and weight. He was allotted an hour. It only had taken him 32 minutes to complete the test. He was eying the door as the Master Sergeant quietly opened it and poked his head in trying to be quiet.

"Sir, I'm finished."

The Master Sergeant retrieved the test booklet and told Richard to come by in 3 days time to find out his test results. They shook each others hands and Richard left for home. On the walk back to his home he thought about the test. It had a lot of mathematical quotients and partial ciphers. He answered all of the questions to the best of his abilities.

It is the morning of the third day. Richard comes down from his room and to his surprise him mother had found some money to provide him with a nice steak and three eggs sunny side up. He ate heartily and his mother knew that he was going to be walking to the recruiters this morning.

"Richard, eat every last bit of your breakfast, you will need your strength today. It's not every day that we can afford a cut of meat like that."

"I am so grateful, thank you, mother."

And he eats. When Martha hears the sound of the fork hitting the empty porcelain plate she smiles at him and starts to clean up the dishes. He kisses her on the cheek and draws her into a hug. As she is embracing him back and before long he pulls away and heads for the back door. "Good luck son."

"Thanks, Mother. I'll be back soon."

After an hour walk, Richard is turning the corner that the recruiting office is on. He walks up to the door and the same Master Sergeant sees him walking up and waves him in.

"Mr. Rodgers."

"Master Sergeant, please call me Richard."

"Very well then. Richard, I am going to tell you that you scored exceptionally well on your test the other day. So much so that you are going to need to go to another location for one more test."

"Alright, what is this test?"

"Richard, I am not at liberty to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Well to tell you the truth, it's above my pay grade."

The Master Sergeant picks up a pencil and writes down the street address in Portsmouth, NH and tells Richard to report there by 0900 tomorrow. He is given a code word that is Firefly.

"Richard, use that code word at the front gate. Godspeed son."

Richard just stands there wondering what had just happened. The Master Sergeant just turned and left him standing there without so much as a word.

They are all studying the results of the test taken by Rodgers, R. What he has done is impossible. It was a 4 section test. The first part was spelling and grammar. The second part was advanced mathematics. Really advanced, like Einstein advanced. The third part was quantum mechanics. He was given to impossible to solve questions, and yet within 30 minutes or so he had finished the entire test. The last section was an essay on what he thought he thought the country would do if they were to be involved in another war.

For all practical purposes the answer that Richard had given summed it all up.

He answered, "We as a country would fight to defend our way of life."

Richard was owed a favor by his friend and now was the time he would collect it. He called his friend Bobby and asked him for a ride. They would need to leave by 7:30 am. He made arrangements to give Bobby fifty cents in addition to the favor to help with the gas needed to go to Portsmouth and return.

The address that Richard was given had to be wrong. They were at some type of fortified military installation. It had barbed wire sitting on top of a 10-foot high chain link fence. It was nestled at the base of a mountain and the compound was placed perfectly within a forest of pine trees. Bobby pulled up to the front gate as just as he stopped an MP jumped in front of his '28 Hudson Essex.

"No further." The MP stated. And raised his hand with a stopping gesture for good measure.

"What can I do for you son?"

"I am here to see about a second round of recruitment tests."

What is your name son?"

"Richard Rodgers"

"What do you catch and keep in a jar?"

Richard thinks this guy is crackers, but then he remembers what the Master Sergeant told him about the password.

"Firefly."

"Sir, you are allowed to pass but your friend will need to back away from the gate and park his car over there and wait for you to return. He then points to a place for Bobby to park his car. Richard gets out of the car and the MP lets him pass. Bobby backs up his pride and joy into the spot and waits.


	3. Chapter 3

Richard walks through the security gate and the MP closes it behind him. The MP tells him to walk to the second building and enter it. Then just past the desk on the right, there is an elevator. It has no destination button. Just get on it when the doors open and it will take you to the only floor there is. Richard walks away wondering just what is going on. He reluctantly walks across the gravel walkway glancing back at the two MP's who have resumed their duties with their backs to him.

He passes the first building and it is nothing more that a storage shed. He walks up the two steps of the second building and pulls open the door. It creeks from not being used in a long time. He then opens the second inner wooden door, and it too creeks with the same noise. Closing both doors he passes an older desk and office chair. Basic he thinks to himself. The only item on the desk is a rotary telephone. It is the 202 model, which had the ringer bell inside of the phone instead of mounted on the wall nearby. He passes the desk and looks to his right. Sure enough, there is a set of elevator doors. He walks over and presses the button to call the elevator. He does not wait that long for it to arrive. The doors open and he steps on hoping he has made the right decision in doing so. As he turns around facing front the doors close quickly.

There is a hum he hears that sounds a lot like a fluid running through a pipe. He thinks that the ride will be a short one but it's not so he checks his watch he notices that it has stopped working. The second hand just a tick before the 55 mark. Weird he thinks, I just wound it this morning. Forgetting his watch problem, for now, the ride seems to last for more than two minutes. After a while, he really thinks that the elevator is not even moving at all. Until the elevator comes to a neck breaking stop. He almost falls forward into the doors. He steadies himself and the doors slide open. All he sees is pitch black. He ventures out of the elevator and as he steps forward a fluorescent light above his head lights up. He sees nothing but the concrete walls to the left and right and the floor beneath his feet. Deciding that this was a bad idea, he thinks about getting back onto the elevator, that is until he hears voices coming from out of the darkness. He takes three steps forward and the first light goes off and another lights up.

He notices that as he steps forward the lights light up directing him in the direction that brings him closer to the voices. They are becoming more recognizable now and he can distinguish between one woman and two men. As he approaches the doorway to his left the lights cease to glow. He stands and listens to the conversation.

"That's not what I am saying." The female voice says.

"Well, then what exactly is it that you are saying?" The male replies.

"Listen I am having second thoughts about bringing a civilian into this...mess for lack of a better word."

"Listen, I understand your position on this matter. Orders tell us differently. He is to be tested and then we will evaluate his capabilities. Give the kid a shot, will you?"

"Yeah, well then let's see what is taking him so long. He should have been here by now."

Richard comes out from the shadows and announces his arrival.

"He is here." Richard says confidently.

"Well it's about time." says the woman.

"Son, pay no mind to her, she is just frigid!" The man says. The female gives him an evil looking sneer.

"For the record, I am NOT frigid!"

"I never thought you were." Richard says hoping he can get along with this woman.

She smirks at him and then turns away. Walking over to a large desk she surveys the map in front of her. The older man walks over to her and asks "So should we ask him?"

She looks over to Richard and figures why not. What do they have to lose?

"Rodgers is it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Richard confirms.

"Can you come over here?"

Richard walks over to the desk and looks at the map spread out on it. It looks to be a map of the European continent. There are places that are clearly marked on the map that must have some significant military value. He studies the map and after about three minutes he has zeroed in on a location on the map that could be an advantage for the US military. Specifically off the coast of France. The woman finally breaks the silence.

"So, Rodgers if you were to mount a surprise watercraft attack against the German army where would you strike first?"

Richard looks at the map once again and as he thinks about her question he has a place in mind but needs to ask her a couple of questions first.

"Ma'am first I am a gentleman and I really don't like calling you ma'am even though that's the proper thing to do in this day and age. Could you tell me your name please?"

"Alright, Rodgers my name is Kathrine Beckett. And you can address me as Agent Beckett."

"Agent?"

"Yes, Rodgers agent. Is there anything else?"

"Actually, agent Beckett there is. In your make believe scenario here that you have outlined for me, what is the battle readiness of the German army? And are they supplied with what they need to survive for at least a 5 to 7-day battle? And if so do they have reinforcements?"

"Okay Rodgers, they are battle ready and they are well supplied. They also have the 82nd infantry division just east of Paris along with the 7th Panzer division to the south. What do you do?"

"Well, agent Beckett, why would you care if I was concerned about where the 82nd infantry division and the 7th panzer division was? Are you reading my mind? What if I were to strike at a different location? However, I would launch an offensive from across the English channel. I'd land on the beaches of Normandy here, here and here (Richard points to three locations on the map) and push forward until I was able to secure the objective. Which I would assume would be to liberate France, if that was my goal. To me, it seems to be the best approach. So your placement of those two divisions was correct."

Kate looks at the map once again to see if what he thought of would be a viable plan. In her head, she agrees but with reservations. Now comes the next test.

"Rodgers,...before she can speak another word she is interrupted by Richard.

"Agent Beckett, I too have a small request, I would rather like to be called by my first name of Richard or if you so desire you can use my nickname which is Rick."

"Cocky aren't we?" Kate replies.

"Not cocky agent, just requesting the same respect you asked of me."

"Okay, Rick! So be it. Let's go. I have one more test for you to take."

Rick turns from the table and as he is walking behind agent Beckett. He can't help to stare at her getaway sticks. They were long and they were beautiful. He follows her into a room with the basic necessities. It has a light hanging down from the ceiling with a shade, four walls, and a table in the middle of the room. On that table is a medium sized wooden box 18" x 24". Agent Beckett pulls out the lone chair from along the wall that Richard never noticed. She places the chair right in front of the box.

Rick looks to her and she is motioning for him to sit. He moves towards the table but stops short of actually sitting. From the door, the two males look on. The young one is Peter Sullivan. The older man is named Rodger Williams.

"So Rodger what do you think she will do?"

"Pete let's see how she plays it out."

"Mr. Rodgers, please sit."

"In due time agent. But first, a couple of more questions before we start."

"Very well." Kate says knowing where this will be going.

"Agent Beckett, under who's authority do you operate? And where exactly are we?"

"Mr. Rodgers, I am not at liberty to say."

"Agent don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. I want to know who you report to or this ends right now!"

Peter looks at Rodger with a worried look.

Kate tries to backtrack, but before she can form an answer in her head Rick grabs her by her arms, turns her to face him and says to her "I'm waiting, Agent!"

Kate knows that he knows anything she would tell him would be a lie, so she tells him the truth.

"Mr. Rodgers, myself and Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Williams are a part of OP-20-G. We are the men and women who assess threats against our country. We report to the Chief of Naval Operations, 20th Division, G section. We mostly are concerned with intercepting, decrypting and analyzing coded communication from most European and far east countries. We are otherwise known as the OSS."

"OSS," Rick asks questioningly.

"Yes, the OSS is the Office of Strategic Services. We were formed to protect the United States against any threat. We mostly gather intelligence. And decide whether there is any truth to what we recover."

"Continue agent." Rick needs to know more.

"As to where we are we are in a bunker of sorts. We are just about a mile under the town of Portsmouth, NH. This facility and others like it around the country are where we mostly operate out of. Being concealed has kept us alive Mr. Rodgers. And I for one would like to stay that way."

"So I'm sure that you have been reading the newspapers. The European countries that surround Germany are starting to worry that Germany will use their power to start a conflict that will more than likely become a massive war."

"Agent, while I am sure that there may be a conflict in Europe I'm sure that President Franklin would never commit to plunging this country into a war."

"Mr. Rodgers, there is a lot that you don't know. Now can we move off this topic and get to the matter at hand?"

"Certainly Agent Beckett." Kate was actually hoping that he would use her first name.

"On this table is what we know to be an encryption machine. It was recovered in Germany near the town of Saarland. The French had tried to take the Germans at the Siegfried line but withdrew shortly thereafter. This machine being here has cost us a number of great men. Men who have given their lives."

"So agent what would you like me to do with it?"

"Mr. Rodgers we need to know how it works. And it seems that you are the man for the job. So I will leave you alone to do just that."

Kate turns around and heads for the door. Hoping that their last best hope can solve this for them.

 **A/N 1: OP-20-G was the predecessor to the Coordinator of Information. The OSS and The Coordinator of Information were formed at around the same time. I have taken the liberty to use the OSS in this story even though they were not formed yet. The OSS was formed in June of 1942 and was the predecessor of today's CIA.**

 **A/N 2: The first Enigma machine was recovered by MI-6 in 1940 from a German Luftwaffe Officer in transit with it from one base to another. His career probably was cut short after the higher ups in the third Reich found out about it.**


	4. Chapter 4

4

"Agent Beckett just one more thing before you leave please?"

Kate stops before she closes the door. Hoping still that he would not be so proper and call her by her first name.

"Yes, what it is it Mr. Rodgers?"

"I will be needing a set of tools. A pair of quick return medium and heavy screwdrivers, a set of jewelers screwdrivers, and a small wrench set, and lastly a sharp knife."

"Is that it?"

"No, actually lunch would be nice, a roast beef sandwich with lettuce and mayo and maybe a pop?"

"I'll see what I can do." Kate replies a little too sarcastically.

"Oh, agent one more thing...can you get word topside to the MP's and tell them to tell the person who brought me here to return back home because I won't be going home tonight, thanks."

" _Won't be going home tonight? I wonder why."_ Kate thinks to herself.

Rick hears the door shut and he pulls out the chair that Kate placed under the table by the machine. He slowly walks around the entire table 360˚ and studies the way the box is constructed. He makes one more revolution around the table in the opposite direction and does the same thing. He takes the chair and turns it around so that the backrest is against the table and he sits down. The box has a stainless steel or tin clasp and he unlocks it and raises the lid and has a look inside.

What he sees is complex and he has not even disassembled anything yet. On the inside of the lid, there are instructions in German he has no idea what they mean. He will need to have them translated. Below the instructions and to the left are three thumb wheels or rotors with a corresponding digit window. To the right there is a dial switch most likely for supplying power, and below that there is a set of keyboards and at the front of the machine there is a plug board.

Rick stands up when he hears the door opens. He turns to see agent Beckett with the tools that he had asked for in her left hand and in her right she is precariously balancing a plate with what looks like a roast beef sandwich and some chips with a pickle spear on it. She walks up to him and hands him the bag of tools and then the plate. He sets both the tool bag and the plate on the table.

"Well, two out of three ain't bad!" Rick says jokingly.

Kate gives him a look and reaches behind her back and pulls a bottle of Coke out of her back pocket and says "There now I'm three for three smartypants."

Rick smiles as he takes the Coke bottle from her. He turns the chair around and sits down to eat. Kate watches him eat and he knows that she has questions for him, he can tell because it's in her nature. She is curious about everything. So he finishes up and takes one last swig of Coke and even before he puts the bottle on the table the questions start.

"So Mr. Rodgers, what have you found out about this machine?"

"It's a machine to send and receive coded messages."

"What else can you tell me?"

"Well, I will need someone who can translate German for me. There are instructions of some sort on the lid and although I'm sure that it won't tell us what the codes for the day are we might be able to figure out how it operates."

"Can you find out if there were any messages sent from this machine before in was recovered?"

"Agent Beckett, to answer that question I am going to need some time to look into the inner workings of this machine. So can you leave me for a little while so I can work?"

"Sure thing Rick!"

"Thank you, Kate!"

Her heart fluttered, just at the mention of him using her first name. She liked the way her name sounded when he said it. She left the room and almost tripped over Williams and Sullivan.

"What are you guys doing? I almost fell flat on my face."

"We just wanted to see how much progress he had made." Rodger says.

"So you block the door with your body?"

"How else were we going to hear what you were saying to him if we didn't have our ears to the door?" Peter states it like it's a common practice.

"I can't believe you two. Don't you have something better to do?"

"Well, there are those files we can look at for any red flags."

"Well just don't stand there...get to work!" Kate tells them.

Kate turns back to look through the glass. She looks Rick and he is intensely studying the machine. He has a way about him, it's like he is totally engrossed in the task at hand. She looks at her watch and sees that it's just about 1 pm. She watches him work just a little longer before she goes to check on Rodger and Peter.

Rick starts to disassemble the box. He removes the top plate secured by 2 thumb screws. Upon lifting the plate he sees the whole thumb wheels. They are notched and they are on a spool. The reflector is permanently mounted to the shaft and is set on the two bars that hold it in place. There are also removable rotors on the shaft next to the reflector. So he thinks that there are new settings to put the rotors in on a daily basis. Moving towards the keyboard he depresses one of the letter keys and sees a corresponding letter light up on the second keyboard.

Kate had knocked on the door but he never heard the knock because he was so involved in what he was doing. She walked over to the table with a tray with a turkey dinner, some vegetables, a slice of apple pie and a glass of milk. Placing the tray on the other side of the table she watched as he made notes of what he was doing. The notes he was making were mostly mathematical in nature. She is tempted to ask what they mean but when she looks up at what he is doing she sees that nothing she would say would break him out of his concentration. It's like he has shut out the world and he is in and entered one of his own.

As she leaves the room and once again checks her watch. It's now quarter past seven at night. She throws him a parting look and heads to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Sitting down to drink it she hopes that they have made the right decision in giving him this test. Many men have died to get them this machine. And if he can't decode any of these messages that the German high command are sending to their U-Boats many, many more men will die. She heads back to tell Peter and Rodger to go home and be back by 7 am.

Rick takes a break from trying to figure out how this machine works. He knows that the rotors need to be reset with a setting that is most likely changed every day. Now that is if the machine operator actually does this. If he becomes lazy or forgets to reset the settings that operators machine could be decoded easily. He has figured out that the machine does not send any type of message. This is just a way to code a message and send it through Morse code. Then the coded message is read to another machine operator at the receiving site and decoded. He looks to his right and sees a tray with a now cold turkey dinner. He thinks of Kate and wonders when she came in here with a meal for him. He looks at his watch but ever since the elevator ride this morning his watch is still stopped.

He hears her voice "It's just about 2 am. Rick, can I ask how you do it?"

"Do what Kate?"

"How do you shut out everything and work like there is nothing but the job that you are assigned to do?"

"I'm not sure. When I was a kid my mother was always going to auditions for plays. I was left to my own devices. I would just see something and try to make the way it worked a little better. I would just go into a daydream like state and think about how to fix that problem. When I got older I went deeper into that state and at times, it was harder to pull myself out of it."

"Well, that explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"I came in here to give you a break with that turkey dinner. I told you that it would be cold quickly and you never even acknowledged my presence. So I had to kick Rodger and Peter out of here earlier and even they could not believe that you were still basically in the same spot at the table going over what made that machine tick."

"Kate I have the basics figured out and there are more items that we need to get our hands on in order to decipher the coded messages that the Germans are sending out."

"Like what Rick?"

"We need the sequence that they change their rotors to. It needs to be changed daily or the codes they send could be deciphered with a little hard work."

"So we need to recover the sequence that they put these rotors in? And it changes daily?"

"Yeah, that about covers it."

"So what we need to even think about finding out what they are sending back and fourth is like some sort of program that tells what position the rotors are supposed to be in?"

"Yes, however, I am thinking that the Germans keep that private. What I mean is that each service will more than likely have their own machine. Army, Navy and Luftwaffe will be independent of each other making it harder for us to find out what's going where."

Kate walks over to the table and hops up on it being careful not to disrupt anything Rick has left on the table. She wants to talk to him like a friend, but to her it seems that he really doesn't have that many friends and is hesitant about how to start what she wants to say. So she tries her best.

"Rick, can you tell me about your friends?"

Rick looks up to her and the only thing he sees are her hazel green eyes. To him, they are really the windows to her soul. They are a rich brown/green and the pattern of her color looked like a snowflake. He looked at her one last time before he spoke.

"Kate, I really don't have any friends. I was raised an only child because my father was killed by the Germans in World War One. So it was up to my mother to do the best she could do to raise a kid who tried to get into anything he could. So no I really had no friends."

"What about Bobby?" Kate asks hopefully.

"Bobby was just a guy who was paying back a favor. That's all."

"Rick I am so sorry, it must have been so lonely growing up." Kate reaches out and places her hand on his forearm like a friend would do. She hopes that by giving him this gesture of support he can see that she is telling him that they could be a little more than friends. Rick feels the heat that she is transferring to him with her touch and he quickly looks at her smiling face and tells her...

"Kate, from the second I heard Rodger say that you were frigid, something drew me to you. Not to help you with your problem...he chuckles a little, but I hope that we can be more than friends. That is after we save the world!"

He is a boy scout, the guy who sees the good in anyone he meets. But with the issue that's looming over them, she can see his reasoning.

" _Rick, when this is over and done with, we WILL be revisiting our feelings for each other."_

Kate looks back at Rick and he has slipped back into his "zone" again. She leaves him to work on the machine.


	5. Chapter 5

5

To say that he was given everything is his life would be an understatement. At 13 years old he was thrown out of the only home he ever had when his parents were murdered right in front of him. Orphanages were not for him he hated the idea of living with someone other than his parents and one could say that is when it happened, it was like a switch was thrown and he was never the same. Never.

Heinko von Herrmann. He was just promoted to sergeant in the German army when he turned 20 years old. Now as he sits behind his desk his mind wanders back to that day in France, the day he took his first life. He was scared shitless. Hell, he was just a kid in anyone's eyes. But what haunts him to this day are the eyes of the man's life he took. They were pleading with him not to take his life. This man had so much to live for but he had a job to do and with him being so dedicated to his job then, he never thought twice that he was making a mistake. After living the last 22 years in the army his outlook from back then to right now has changed, and he fears the wrath from that day will rain down onto him very soon.

Herrmann has been in charge of Germany's best-kept secret since this war started. Enigma. He had not been a part of its development but he was the guardian of how the information was sent to and from commanders and their recipients. The information that was sent was top secret and the allies had no idea how to break their coded messages. Everything was sent through Enigma. Troop movements, tank positions, supply and personnel requests, hell even the Führer had sent messages to and from commands and was pleased with the safeguards he had in place for Enigma's success. He had made strides from when he was a sergeant in the first world war. Those strides had now given him the rank of Major. He had men assigned to him that he trusted and then there were some that if he did not trust with the motherlands secrets they were met with an assignment to either the Eastern front or he would send then to Rommel in Africa. Either way, they never were under his command again. He commanded his men and this unit with an iron fist. He demanded respect and he gave it when needed. He would not fail his superiors.

He had heard from non-official channels that the British and Americans were avidly trying to break the secrets of the Enigma. They had men and women working around the clock to do just that. They would be disappointed by their efforts in the long run. There were an infinite amount of combinations that this machine could code messages in and just as they thought they would be just figuring out the tip of the iceberg, he would order a change in how the orders were sent once again stumping the allies. No, Enigma was a safe way to communicate he had faith in it.

It had been 5 months since the last rotors had been sent out. The machines could be sending and receiving messages with the current rotor configuration for 6 months before replacement rotors were sent out to the commands. They had a strict timetable to adhere to. He was just worried about the outlying commands. The commands gathering on the Eastern front and the hard to reach commands were the ones that bothered him the most. In France a Luftwaffe officer had lost an Enigma to the British and while they had no idea what position to place the rotors into deciphering any messages, they had a whole undamaged machine. That officer was met with an unfortunate end. He had made sure of it.

The British had done more than figure out the Enigma machine. With the help of the United States OSS team, they actually had been intercepting and deciphering some of the Germans coded messages. They did not have concrete facts about the German's movements and the messages that they were decoding were not closely guarded secrets but with time they were sure that they could figure it out. The OSS was going to be paying a visit to the British code cracking team. They had figured out something that the British had no idea about.

 _ **Flashback...**_

Rick had been in contact with British intelligence regarding the Enigma machine. He was curious as to how far they had come in finding out its secrets. So after asking Kate what they knew, she had made a couple of calls and now he had more knowledge about Enigma. This drove him further and further to trying to break the secrets of this machine. After he had completely dissembled it, he re-assembled it and then repeated the whole process over and over again. He had more than enough information to relay to them about the rotors and how they could read what the Germans were sending out. They wanted him to come to London to show them what he figured out.

"Rick it's for the best. This is an outstanding opportunity. You need to go to London to show them what you figured out."

"Kate, it's just not that simple. I am still not part of the OSS. I have been working on this machine for the last 4 months. I have responsibilities. Responsibilities that I have neglected. I have only seen my mother three times in those last 4 months." Rick almost shouted at her

"I'm sorry Kate. It's just that I am not being paid anything. I have been down in this room for what feels like forever, I feel like a prisoner. I miss sunlight, I miss seeing people. I need a night out."

Kate knows the feeling. They have come a long way since their first day. They talk to each other more, they have told each other their hopes and dreams. But keeping the country safe is all about the job. She hates that this has taken a strangle hold of his beliefs, and made him upset, but that is the job. And now her job is to get him to London so they can share what each other had found out.

"Rick listen your efforts, your abilities have become all that MI-6 can talk about. They need to see what you have found out. I know that this is not what you want to do, but understand this without our help many more men will die. I'm not talking about our military, but the allies military and civilians. They will be at the mercy of the Third Reich. So I'll make a deal with you, I know that it is not in this moment but I would like to have a good meal with you and I was thinking that we could do that in London so we could have _our_ night out. What do you think?"

Rick sat there in the chair that had been sitting in since he was in this room. Only one word escaped his lips...

"Deal!"

 **End Flashback**

Rick had hated the idea of leaving his mother and had wanted to ask Kate if she could be looked after while he was gone. But he requested that whoever was assigned the task of keeping an eye on her that they do it without her knowing it. He had agreed to go to London telling Kate that he would do it only because she had asked him so nicely.

"Rick, we need to move! The car will be here to take us to Grenier Field soon, so finish packing."

Exasperatedly he answered, "Kate I'm going as fast as humanly possible."

He really wasn't because he still did not want to go to London. No matter what she had promised him. He had a bad feeling about this trip. Still had faith in the progress they had made. The look on his mother's face when he arrived home to pack his grip was epic, she automatically went into protective mama bear mode.

"So Kathrine, where is it you taking my son to?"

"Mrs. Rodgers we are flying out to London later this afternoon, and that's about all I can tell you at this time. But rest assured your son is in good hands and he will be safe."

Martha had her doubts. She was not one to trust an outsider so readily. After Kate had made her statement about how safe he would be, she looked to Rick and with his eyes he told her that everything would be fine. Still she wondered.

As they were leaving Rick took his mother into an embrace that she had not experienced since he was a little boy. He hugged her with affection and warmth. It was then that she realized that no matter what Kathrine had said or done her son was not going to be returning back home. A lone tear slid down her cheek and she kissed him quickly before he noticed. Turning her back and walking away she told the both of them to be safe and come home soon.

The ride to Grenier field was a long one. They needed to stop for gasoline at a filling station on the way. Esso had boasted that their restrooms were the cleanest on the nation's highways. Kate had heard that registered nurses also known as highway hostess's had the job of inspecting the restrooms for some of the filling stations. After refilling the tank it was just about one in the afternoon when they had arrived. Kate had the orders from her OSS section chief and presented them to the guard on duty. He allowed them to pass and they were waiting for the plane to finish being refueled. With any luck, they would be in London by tomorrow morning.

 **A/N 1: The timeline I have used in this story does in no way follow actual history. This story is set around late '39 early '40. The German Army had not engaged the Russian Army on the Eastern front until 1941. Rommel was not assigned to Africa until February 1941. I tried to use actual events to make this story more believable, but sometimes it does not work out. So this is why I have taken the liberty to embellish just a little.**

 **A/N 2: To Maria (guest) I can't reply to you personally, but I did receive your review and Rick and Kate will be getting together in the next couple of chapters. Just wait for it.**

 **P2P**


	6. Chapter 6

6

The flight to London was long and tedious. Rick was not one who liked flying, period. The fact that they were flying over a large body of water really had him worried. Kate had kept reassuring him that they would be fine but he never believed her. Turbulence was the worst. The plane that they were in was sent to the US by the Royal Air Force. They had insisted that they fly them over to the UK in one of their own planes. A de Havilland DH-91 Albatross. It was gutted with just 6 seats up front for passengers the rest of the plane was for cargo. But he could not stand the roller coaster ride he was experiencing.

The flight took about 18 hours with one stop in Nuuk, Greenland to refuel and then on to London. Deciding to get some shut eye after they refueled Rick tries to convert one of the cargo nets into a hammock. Soon he is asleep and Kate wonders how he can sleep with the noise this plane is making. So she straps herself into the passenger seats and nods off but ever so lightly. As the plane hits the runway Kate is jolted awake. She is still trying to become orientated to where she is. She looks up and sees Rick who is no worse for the wear and she extends her arm which he takes and pulls her up from the seat. The airport they are at is just south of London. Croydon airfield. It's pretty big as far as airports go, but as Kate walks onto the stair ladder descending the plane she sees the damage from the latest Luftwaffe raid. She wants to ask how the RAF fared over the raid but she gets her answer from the pilot descending right behind her.

"We did alright" the pilot states.

"How badly?" Kate asks.

"Well, we lost four airmen from the 111th, a Royal Canadian pilot, and a communications operator. She was only 26. That was just our losses according to the base doctor sixty-two civilians died and 192 were injured. It's the damnedest thing...

"What is?" Rick asked.

"We figured out that Jerry was supposed to attack RAF Kenley due south, but somehow they were misguided or lost you can decide which one and attacked this airfield instead."

Now Rick had a really bad feeling about being here. They proceeded down the stairs and reported to the base commander. The pilot came in front of them and saluted the commander and reported that there were no problems in flight.

"Captain McClure you are dismissed. Tend to your aircraft." the commander ordered.

"Miss Beckett and Mr. Rodgers. I am glad that you have made it to the British isle in one piece."

Rick whispers _"your not the only one."_ Kate jabs him in his ribs hard enough to make him gasp for his next breath.

"Once we have had a spot of tea and a bite to eat we will call transport and have you taken to MI-6's operational division"

"Thank you, Sir." Kate replies.

They go into the sitting area of his office and before long there is an aide presenting them with tea. They each take a cup and drink. The aide later returns with finger sandwiches. Rick looks at what she has brought and wonders what everyone else is going to eat. There is not enough to feed a bird never mind him. He silently looks to Kate asking what to do with his eyes. She gives him a look away and he understands that he should graciously decline the offer of food.

Outside of the plane that has just landed minutes ago, a dark figure watches as the party of four drinks tea. He knows that his orders are only to observe but this chance is too good to pass up. In order for him to get word to his superior, he needs to break away and possibly lose his targets. So he decides to forgo the current direct order and keep his surveillance of the targets in place. It's a good choice because after five minutes they are leaving and he reluctantly follows. He want's to contact his boss but there is no time to get the word out. So closely but stealthy he follows them.

Kate and Rick were being driven to the MI-6's compound. They have dropped all protocol when traveling to a secure installation. No matter where they are they should have kept it in place. This would be Kate's only mistake. One that she would regret. She left their security in the hands of MI-6 and it would prove to be an even bigger mistake.

The car which was basically the equivalent to a '37 Chevrolet Master Deluxe was a car that had suicide doors. Virtually trapping Kate and Rick in the back of the car until the front doors were opened. Just as Rick was thinking what a disadvantage the suicide doors were, the car came to a screeching stop. That's because as they looked through the front windshield of the car there were 3 men standing in the middle f the road with a military looking car blocking their forward motion. Two were armed with PO8 Luger's and the other one had an MP-40.

Four more men in black trench coats leap from the Mercedes W-123 that pulled in behind them virtually cutting them off from any kind of escape. Before they could act the commander who was driving was shot through the windshield with a burst of fire from the MP-40 he was dead in seconds. Kate tried to get away from the back seat and tried to pull Rick with her. She just got out of the car after pushing the door open she was met with a dart to her neck. She fell and Rick tried to catch her before she hit the ground. The only problem with that was as Kate was falling to the ground to quickly and Rick was being pulled in the other direction from the car and was being thrown into the trunk of the Mercedes by the men in the trench coats. Before Kate lost conscious she prayed that she would see Rick again, but as she fell into a deep sleep she knew this to be going to be impossible.

He was thrown into the back of the car's trunk, blindfolded and gagged. He lost conscious after the butt of a Walther P-38 slammed into the side of his head for the eighth time. He was a strong guy but after repeatedly being hit with the gun he fell silent.

Kate woke with a pounding headache. She was still a bit groggy and had lost all track of time. Since she was knocked out it had started to rain and she pulled her hand to her face and wiped the moisture from her face. Pushing herself up off the ground she looked around and there was no sign of the men who had attacked them and more importantly no sign of Rick. The commander was still lying slumped over in the front seat of the car. She walked over to him and shook him but it was of no use he was dead.

Kate can only bow her head and say a prayer for his soul. She needed to find out where he was and who took him. She went into warrior mode. Taking in the facts before she was rendered unconscious she noticed the SS collar insignia on two of the men who had taken Rick. Now she was in a world all of her own. She will find him and when she does she will kill whoever had taken him. She noticed that the commander was armed with a Webley & Scott Mk I. Taking it and trying to track which direction they dragged Rick away she was only able to follow the drag marks about 20 yards. And then follow the tire tracks for about another 60 yards before she lost the direction due to the rain making it impossible to go any further.

He was thrown onto a hard concrete floor. So hard that he thought that he lost a tooth from his skull hitting the ground so hard. They were relentless. He was dragged next to a wall and was placed in iron shackles. Before he knew it he was being pulled up the wall by the shackles attached to his wrists. His legs also received the same treatment. Within seconds, he was spread eagle against the wall. He was their prisoner. He was there for what felt like weeks when in reality it was only just 6 days. It was hard to keep track of time knowing that they would be in to use him as their human punching bag almost every 8 hours like clockwork. He did not understand why no one was here to question why he was here or what he was doing. He assumed that he was somewhere in Berlin. But where he was not sure of. Food was another item he had been recently deprived of. It felt like his stomach was shrinking. Every once and a while an SS officer walking by him would throw some water in his face and say "Nehmen Sie einen Drink!" (Have a drink!)

Kate called the man in charge of the London field office of the OSS. It had been 10 days and there were no demands for Rick's life. Not that she expected any because they in a country that was at war. She had feared the worst. She knew that they were going to take his life, almost the same way they killed his father.

 **A/N: This story does not have too many followers, but I am so unhappy for the idiots at ABC. They have thrown away two really great actresses for no good reason at all. Contract disputes my ass! After this season ends so will my writing for this show. I can't believe that they would try to continue a show without Stana and Tamala. They were just as much a part of the show as Nathan is. Whatever incarnation the show ends up with it will never be the same. I think that they were more than that... they were a team. I'm sorry to vent here but it's just not fair!**


	7. Chapter 7

In the eyes of the SS Rick was just another POW. But he was not actually a part of any military unit so his punishment would be death. It was that way because the German's had classified him as a spy. And to be a spy on this side of the Atlantic meant certain death. He had pieced together that he was in a bunker of sorts that he was being held in. He was also able to figure out that the SS & Gestapo had been ordered to beat him within an inch of his life. This is where he still was. Shackled to this damn stone wall. He was denied any food. He hadn't eaten anything since he politely turned down those finger sandwiches, now he wished he ate the whole plate of them just to satisfy his hunger.

He noticed that on his beating days that's what he now started to call them, they really worked him over. He never cracked. Somehow today they were going just a little easier on him and it made him wonder why. He thought that after two weeks here someone would ask him something, anything. But he was never asked anything. So after the final blow landed on the right side of his jaw he passed out. When he came to he was in a larger room. He was still chained to a wall but this time, there was no slack in the chains. His body was feeling like he had no energy at all. He was barely able to see out of his right eye because his whole left eye socket had to have been smashed. But he was able to see that he was about 7 feet from the entry door. He was also shirtless.

Kate was spinning her wheels. It had been just about 15 days since she last saw him. Even as she hated his cockiness but she still missed him. The section chief had tried to work with his contacts inside Berlin but so far they had come up empty. There was only one thing for her to do.

"Sir, we need to get inside the Third Reich to see if we can get him out safely."

"Agent Beckett, while I understand that he holds a wealth of information, he knew and accepted the risks by taking this mission."

"Sir understand this he was never part of the OSS. While he might have known the risks he had never signed up for this. He never wanted to come here in the first place!"

"Agent there is no way that I will sanction any one agent to go into the hornets' nest. Sadly Mr. Rodgers is on his own, and I am sure that he would not want you to become compromised. I'm so very sorry. I'm sure there are preparations you need to make before you leave."

"LEAVE? I have no intention of leaving without him."

"That's where your wrong Agent Beckett. You are on the first DC-3 leaving at 0700. The agents that are working within the Reich will get him back to safety…. hopefully."

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not going anywhere."

"Again, Agent Beckett that is where you are mistaken."

The section chief extends his hand and in it are orders for her to return back to OSS headquarters stateside. She reads over them and hates that they would leave him in there without her being there to help find him. So an idea comes to her and she agrees with the orders but gives her disapproval of them once again just to make it look good.

She knows that the woman who had offered them the finger sandwiches two weeks ago was a dead ringer for her. In looks and physical appearance. So she has her work cut out for her. Now she needs to convince a certain British communications officer to take her place. It won't be pretty but she has no choice. Her name is Sally Flanagan. She is from Scotland and she has always wanted to see the US. She reluctantly agrees to Kate's plan and as they hash out how to make this work Kate tells her that there are two men at her installation that she needs to tell what they are doing to get Rick back.

Von Herrmann had seen to the capture of the POW. Under Hitler's orders he had Himmler's SS troops and the Gestapo ambush the British car that had Rodgers and his female handler had been riding in to MI-6's secret base. The problem is that it was not a secret any longer. He walked into where they were holding him. He really did not like to stoop to the mundane day to day ops, but this man had cracked the enigma code and he was going to find out what he knew. Even if it killed him.

As he walked into what he viewed as a dungeon he looked at an unconscious Rodgers. It was not to long after the guards tightened the shackles pulling his limbs into a very painful position when he opened his one good eye and looked in his direction.

"Ah, Mr. Rodgers I see that you are with us once again."

Rick kept quiet. He knew their tactics and he would not give anything away.

So, Mr. Rodgers, it seems that you have lost your tongue, maybe we should cut it out of your mouth so you cannot give anything else away yes?" Von Herrmann asked.

Rick just looked up at Von Herrmann and said nothing.

"Mr. Rodgers while I think of a way to get you to see that you are going to give me the objective of your mission, you need to know that your handler has returned back to the US. I think her name was Beckett correct me if I am wrong but she my friend has left you high and dry. So I think that it would be in your best interest if you told me everything."

Once again Rick does not utter one word.

"Well, Rodger's I am sorry that she will not be the one to rescue you. She has sold you out and now it's my turn to personally extract the information that I need so badly. And I never fail!

Herrmann removes his M-36 uniform jacket unbuttons his sleeves and rolls up them up. Then he extends his hand to the SS officer. He gives him a bull whip and it's now that Rick realizes why he has been stripped of his shirt. He will not give up anything no matter what they do to him. The first crack of the whip makes the SS officer flinch, but Rick just looks at Von Herrmann with a determined face.

Sally is rethinking her decision and lets Kate know about the trouble she could be facing if they do this. It's not a matter of if they get away with it, it's a matter of what to do when they get caught.

"Sally I need you to do this for me. You have no idea what they are going to do to him in there."

"Kate, I do know. My father was caught and tried in their so-called "Court of Justice". After he told them that he was just a lowly courier they made an example of him. He was placed in front of a firing squad, he died protecting British secrets. So I do know a little about what they are going to do to Rick."

Kate just looks at her and a single tear traces down her cheek.

"Oh my god Kate…. You are in love with him aren't you?

All she can do is nod not trusting her vocal response now.

"Kate, give me your credentials and get me out of here. But I expect to be informed of what you find out. I will be waiting for your call in New Hampshire. I will give your request to Rodger and Peter back at OSS HQ. I hope that they can get you what you need in time."

"Thank-You Sally." Kate says wholeheartedly.

As she thinks back to Sally's departure 3 days ago she hopes that she was able to get her message to Rodger. If not she will most likely end up dead inside the Third Reich. She just hopes that she can find Rick and that he is still alive.

Rick is having trouble stopping the blood that is oozing from the deep cuts on his chest and mid-section. Von Herrmann is just a little too efficient with a whip. The first strike came to hit Rick in the left side of his abdomen. The cut was lite, almost like a paper cut. It burned but it did not bleed that much. But as the torture went on Von Herrmann had started to lose his temper due to Rick's silence. He had struck him again and this time, it was a lot harder and he actually drew blood from a deep cut. He was still not giving anything up. That's when Von Herrmann lost it. He cracked the whip 15 times in succession and each time the whip hit it's mark he did more damage than the last strike.

Seeing that his prisoner was not going to give up anything he had the SS officer unshackle him and turn him around so he had a fresh canvas to work with. Once again secure, Von Herrmann started his punishment once again. 45 lashes later Rick's back is bloodied and there are cuts into his skin that have actually exposed his ribcage bones. He is slack in the shackles. Von Herrmann tells the medical staff not to treat his wounds. He is to be secured in his cell and left alone. Von Herrmann walks up to the back of Rick and says:

"Rodger's you are a lot tougher than your old man was I'll give you that!" Von Herrmann starts to laugh as he walks away. But even though he was semi-unconscious Rick heard every word he said.

Kate had been in Berlin for a day. Trying not to be noticed she was keeping a low profile. She was going to meet with a woman who was with the French resistance. Her name was Valérie. She had been in Berlin and had not been found out that she was with the French resistance since before the war had started. She waited at a café and was eagerly looking around to find her. Valérie had noticed when the American had sat down at the small outside café table. She watched as she tried to look inconspicuous but she had picked her out as a spy straight away. What was it with these Americans anyway? They were so easy to spot.

She sat down next to the American without not even making a noise. Kate turned and was startled at first but hid her reaction to her arrival. Valerie told her that was her first mistake.

"What do you mean my first mistake?" Kate asked.

"When you turned to look at me I startled you. Then you quickly hid your initial reaction to me. That my friend will get you killed. That and those dreadful clothes you are wearing will definitely get you picked up as a spy, hands down. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I wanted to blend in with the people. Is this not what they wear?"

"Well, not around here they don't. Where you are now is more of a lower class of people. What you are wearing is leaning more towards upper class."

Kate hung her head a little in shame but she quickly raised it when Valerie had mentioned Rick's name.

"So this agent that you are looking for, Rick is his name I think? How long has he been missing?" Valerie asks.

"He was taken about two weeks ago. He is somewhere in Berlin, I just don't have any further intel than that."

"Well, this is a place for us to start. He is more than likely being held in the bunker."

"The bunker." Kate asks wonderingly.

"Yes, the bunker. This is a torture chamber of sorts. The German's only put someone here that they want to interrogate or torture themselves. They won't let it be done through usual channels. So I hope that he is still alive, but I need you to be prepared that this might be all for nothing. He already could be dead." Valerie wanted to let Kate the possibilities before they went in for the rescue.

"My name is Kate."

"Hello Kate, my name is Valerie. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

The two women ordered a glass of red wine and sat there planning how to get Rick back.


	8. Chapter 8

Rick had woke with a start. He was lying on the hard concrete floor and he tried to see out of his one good eye. He felt extreme pain and every part of his body had ached. Von Herrmann had done a number on him. He noticed the trail of blood that made a small river towards the center of the room and pooling by the drain. He felt like he was on fire. He needed to get some medical help before these wounds became infected. He had no idea how long he was here after his latest torture session. But no matter what, he would be the one to kill Von Herrmann. It's as if it was fate. He will never forget the comment he made as he got done whipping him.

" _Rodgers you are a lot tougher than you're old man was."_

Rick thinks back to his torture and decided that there was no way that they would get any information out of him. He now tried to ignore the pain he was feeling from his wounds. He could manage the pain. His thoughts went back to what Von Herrmann had said about Kate leaving for the states again. He felt betrayed by what he said. He thought that he and Kate had a connection but he had never made a move to tell her how he had felt. And now she was gone.

Kate and Valèrie had been talking for about 3 hours. Kate had found out from Valèrie that when the German's had brought someone to be interrogated into the bunker they most likely came out in a body bag. When their conversation had stalled a little, Kate noticed Valèrie had nodded her head so ever slightly. Paying more attention to her surroundings she looked to her left. When she did she noticed a young man maybe 25 or so who just strolled right up to them and said, "It's a beautiful day today isn't it?"

Valèrie responded with "It is if you are not afraid of a little rain."

"Hello, Val."

"Hello, René. Please have a seat." Kate looks at him and wonders what's going on.

René takes a seat between Kate and Valèrie. He gets comfortable and Kate can see that he has something to say to each of them.

"Wine?" Valèrie offers.

"Please," René responds.

She pours him a glass and he retrieves a small notepad from his inside jacket pocket.

"Val, I have risked too much to get the information that I am going to show you now."

"René I am appreciative of your efforts. I understand that you have risked a lot. God where are my manners, René forgive me but this is OSS agent Kate Beckett. She is going to be the person we need to get into the bunker."

René looks aghast upon hearing this news.

"Val, what are you talking about? There is no way she would get anywhere near their headquarters. And you can just forget about getting her into the bunker. Just look at her!"

"Let's talk about that later. We will figure out a way to get around this, show me what you have found out."

René shakes his head and his features soften just a little.

"Okay, here is what I found out. There is a very large, brown-haired man being tortured for what he knows about the Enigma machine. As of now he is currently in a cell passed out from being whipped to within an inch of his life. There is a special interest for what he knows so much so that the officer that is in charge of Enigma is the one doing the torturing.

Kate's lifts her hand and covers her mouth as she lets out a quiet cry. Val instinctively places her hand on top of Kate's free one.

René pulls out an attached sheet of paper from his notepad. He raises the newspaper to block the view of the diagrams. He smooths it out and is now showing it to the women. With the increased SS patrols he does not want to be caught by them with this information.

"Val, this is the layout of the bunker. It will be the last intelligence we will be able to acquire from inside because the guard that was feeding me this information has come up missing. I think that he was dealt with. I will give him one more day to show up but I am positive he is dead."

Val and Kate took a moment to look over the diagram. Their faces turn to confusion as they try to decipher the diagram.

"Okay René can you tell me what we are looking at?" Kate asked after she had time to composed herself.

"Ladies, the Germans are great at the art of deception. What this diagram shows is a floor plan that actually only shows the floors that they want you to see. The blueprint here is what is actually there. This diagram on the paper here are the floors under the floors in the blueprints."

"This is not going to be easy is it?" Val asks.

"No, it won't be. There is no way that we will be able to find entry to the sub-floors. So while I hate to admit it, we might need to abort this rescue attempt until we are able to form a clearer picture of how to get him out."

Kate's face dropped and her mouth opened to refute but before she could speak, Val said

"René listen to what I am going to tell you. Kate needs a positive outcome for this mission. There will be no question as to who is going to go into the bunker. It has to be her. René just looks at the agent...

Rick has lost all sense of time. He was still lying on the floor trying to determine which of his injuries are the worst. With his right arm since it was the less injured of the two, he had snaked his arm around his back. Since he was in pain from twisting his arm into that position he could only make a partial assessment of his wounds. He knew that the Germans would not render any type of medical treatment he was after all a prisoner. The wounds he felt were deep and no doubt would be infected soon. He needed to get off the damp floor and onto the steel framed bed minus the mattress of course.

Von Herrmann was beyond raging mad. He thought that the mind games he was playing with Rodgers coupled with the ferocious whipping he gave him at his hand for the last 9 hours would have broken him. He was mistaken. A small part of him had felt respectful of the man. He would not say that of the men he had tortured in the past but with Rodgers something was different. It was like you could not break his will to live. So he would have to change tactics and step up his techniques. Sitting at his desk his thoughts were interrupted by a staff sergeant.

"Sir, pardon the intrusion, there is a call for you in the communications room."

"Thank-You sergeant. I'll be right there."

Von Herrmann stood straightened his uniform jacket smoothed out his pants and made his way to the phone. He was dreading this call because to him it could be only one man. One he did not want to deal with now. Lifting the receiver to his ear he spoke.

"Von Herrmann speaking sir."

"Von Herrman, this is Himmler. Has he broken yet?"

"No sir. He is a tough one. I am going to try again this afternoon."

"Don't try, just do it. If he does not talk after this round of punishment then make sure he leaves in a box! I want no loose ends!"

"Yes, sir."

The phone line goes dead. The phone call has given Von Herrmann a direction that he would never consider.

Kate and Val look at René. They both know that they don't have much time before it's too late to get Rick out of the bunker.

"René, why do you think that I can't pull off this rescue?" Kate asked honestly.

"While I have just met you, I can tell that you can handle yourself. But understand this Kate, if you are able to get into the bunker leaving will be next to impossible. What do you expect to do just walk out the front door?"

"René, that's exactly what I plan on doing. We need to get out of here and plan for just that."

Val had a real bad feeling about this...


	9. Chapter 9

Leaving the cafe, the trio had decided that it would be best to talk about the escape plan for Rick in the hotel across the street. This way the SS patrols would not see them planning out in the open drawing themselves into unwanted questions. Taking a seat in the lounge Val decides that it will be safer if they check into a room instead of talking in the lounge. They do just that and soon they are planning out how to get Rick out alive.

After about an hour of intense planning they all freeze when there is a knock on the door. Each knows that they are here hidden away from prying eyes and there should not be anybody asking to gain entry to their room. René reaches for his holster to release his MAB from its confines. He slides up to the door and as he does he waves Val towards the door to answer it. Val does her best to be calm and keep her mind sharp. Kate just looks at the pair and all she sees is a well choreographed dance. The are so in sync. The knock comes again and Val tells the visitor to wait because she will be right there.

As she approaches the door she signals with her eyes to René that she is ready. A split second passed and Val has pulled the door open, taken a hold of a man's arm who can't react to the opening door in time and twists him onto his back and then down to the floor. René trains the pistol at the mans forehead.

"Who are you?" René demands.

"I was sent to give you this." After his statement, he reaches into his front pant pocket and takes out a piece of paper. Val takes the paper and unfolds it and reads the message.

"It's okay he is part of the Resistance, let him up." Val states.

Kate walks over to Val and the man gets up off his back. He watches René as he reads the message. His face drops and he knew that what he feared had come true.

"Remember the German guard I told you about, the one who gave me the intel about the bunker?"

"I remember." Both women nod.

"Well, Von Herrmann did exactly what I thought he would do. He killed him. But if any one would look into the way he died they would think that he had taken his own life."

"This is bad news. With his death Von Herrmann will be on the look out for any other intrusion that he thinks will be a threat. He will look closer at who comes and who goes now." Kate thinks out loud.

"We need to keep to the plan. First we don't have that much time left to act. We need to get to a seamstress and have her make a perfect German uniform. Then we are going to need a complete layout of the drainage system below the bunker to gain access to the tunnel that leads to the weapons room. That is our only way in.

Kate, Val we need to have an alternate escape plan worked out just in case. I don't know how we are going to come up with something since this place really only has one way in and out. Let's sit and go over an additional escape route. The two women agree and they return back to the table to look over the blueprints. A short time later they think they have come up with a secondary plan. It's risky. The roof is guarded and while it is guarded it seems that there only two guards to deal with. This was their best alternate plan. Being that the bunker was a not a stand-alone building it would be easier to get to the roof and descend to the ground using the adjoining building as cover. The only item they could not count on was Rick's physical condition.

MI-5 headquarters had been running their double cross system to confuse the Germans for about 3 months now. The compound at Bletchley Park and been working around the clock to feed as much misinformation to the Germans as they could. And it seemed to be working. They had purposely given the Germans the coordinates to an imaginary location that was to be a staging point for a small invasion into Germany from the Polish/German border. The British scouts that were positioned there had reported that 2 divisions of foot soldiers, 1 panzer division, and a mechanized unit had arrived at the location. This told the British that they were right about the misinformation.

Rick laid on the steel bed frame. He had tried to tend to his wounds as best he could. He was having trouble staying conscious. He can't remember when the last time he had something to eat. He was thinking about Kate as he drifted off to sleep. His thoughts quickly manifest into dreams of the life they could have together. He loves her he's sure of it. But there is always something in the dream that keeps them apart. He is jostled awake but he can't tell if he is still dreaming. Two guards are lifting him up by his arms and they drag him to another room.

The room is sterile and very bright white. There is a lone surgical table in the middle of the room. He is thrown onto the table and strapped to it with leather bindings. He looks to either side and sees a surgical tray stand to his left. On it are syringes and many small bottles. One has a tan colored liquid and the other had a liquid that looks to be red. The rest and clear. Looking back up to the ceiling a part of him wishes that this can be over. He knows that he will not make it out of here alive. The guards leave him and the silence is deadening.

The door opens with a creak minutes later. Von Herrmann enters and walks up to Rick.

"Wake up Rodgers! We can't have you sleeping all day."

Rick opens his eyes and sees that Von Herrmann has a surgical gown on complete with mask. A shudder runs down his body at the sight.

"Rodgers, what I am going to tell you now is something that will never leave this room. That's because only one of us will be leaving it alive, and I don't have high hopes for you. There is a great German doctor in the concentration camp at Ravensbrück. Doctor Sigmund Rascher. And he is conducting experiments on POW's to help keep our soldiers and airmen alive and fighting. He is the one who gave me an alternate way to get you to talk. Even if you don't tell me anything you won't leave here alive. You will suffer a slow, painful, agonizing death."

Rick just looks at the ceiling and settles his body and mind. He had heard about the atrocities that the German army had been conducting on the people in the concentration camps. None of it was good.

"Rodgers what we have is a stubborn streak in you that will end now. I am going to find out what I need to know by silently torturing you to death."

Rick turned to him and says "I'll never talk, so do your best!"

"Foolish man. This could be over and you could walk out of here on your own."

"Herrmann, face it I won't be walking out of here anytime soon."

Von Herrmann picks up the syringe and sticks the first small bottle. Drawing back the plunger he fills the syringe chamber with the red liquid.

"You're right about that. There is no way that you are going to walk out of here."

He walks over to Rick and taps his gaunt left arm to get his veins to rise and places the needle on his arm. Then pressing the needle into his flesh he injects the liquid. The doctor told him that results would take about 15 to 20 minutes to take effect.

"So Rodgers, what I just gave you was the first phase of getting you to talk. I have given you a small dose of poison. It will kill you, but it will take a while to do just that. I have stronger types of poison to use on you if need be. But that's not all. I also have a mutated version of Colstridum tetnui to make sure that you suffer for not giving me what I needed when I whipped you earlier."

"Tetanus, that's your method?"

"Yes, Rodgers. Whipping you was the start. With wounds so open and deep, the bacteria I am going to administer to you will be instantly attacking your body on a cellular level."

Von Herrmann walks back to the table and repeats the actions he did earlier, but now he has the tan bottle. He walks back to Rick and looks at his bleeding wounds. He starts first with the deep wound by his ribcage. He places the needle into the wound and jabs his skin. He injects the liquid disease into the wound, and he finds about eight other wounds he can infect.

Rick can feel the burn as he finished the last injection. He can't tell if it's the poison or the Clostridum that is causing the burn. Minutes pass and he is getting light headed and his forehead is covered in sweat. He fights to free himself and in the process his muscles start to disobey his brain. Without warning he is arching up against the table and he has no control over his muscles. The pain is excruciating. His heart rate has jumped up and the poison in his body is now spreading faster within him.

The spasms subside a little and Rick is able to breathe once again. He looks over to Von Herrmann and tries to talk. He can't seem to move his jaw voluntarily. Von Herrmann sees this and asks

"Cat got your tongue, Rodgers?" Then he laughs at him again.

"Mmmmpppphhhh ddddaaadddd."

"What about your dad Rodgers?"

"Sssssshhhhdddd hhaavv kkkiillllddd yyuuu!"

"While that is a touching thought, he never thought that I would take his life. He was too trusting of a man. He lacked the guts it took to command men. Rodgers your old man was soft."

A tear from Rick's good eye slides down his face. He knew different. His dad was a great compassionate man. There was only one thing he would do before he died. He would find a way to kill Von Herrmann.

"Well Rodgers, I'll take my leave for now. I'll see you in about an hour and then we will talk again. Maybe by then your mind might be a little clearer and your tongue will be a lot loser!" Rick turns his head and Von Herrmann walks out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

10

Von Herrmann was seeing red. He was just barely tolerating Himmler's nasally voice. He was sick and tired of Himmler's attitude and while he should be listening to his superior his mind drifted off to what he was going to do to Rodgers after the call ended.

"VON HERRMANN!" Himmler yelled into the receiver.

"Sir?"

"Have you even heard a word I just got done telling you?"

"Sorry, sir. The corporal came in with paperwork that needed my attention." Von Herrmann lied.

"Paperwork...right. Well, when you hang up this phone I want Rodgers dead, do you UNDERSTAND?"

"Sir, are you sure about this?"

"One hundred percent. I want him dead before supper. He's nothing but a liability for us."

"Sir..." "No excuses Major. Question my orders one more time and you will regret it. He's dead tonight or else." The line goes silent and Von Herrmann hangs up the phone. He will honor Himmler's request, but not before he tortures Rodgers one last time.

Val, René, and Kate had been planning and planning for the last 4 hours. They needed a break and Val had enough. They had a plan but René kept finding faults with it.

"Okay, let's take a breather." Kate got up from the table and walked to the balcony of their suite. She swung the french doors open and stepped out onto the balcony. Resting her hands on the railing she looks down at the entrance to the Third Reich's headquarters. She is this close to seeing him again, rescuing him and her eyes start to water. She drops her head.

"Kate?" Val calls softly.

She stays quiet but nods her head in acknowledgment of her name being called.

"Kate, we will get him out. I promise. Please try not to worry. I know it's hard because you love him so much."

She takes in a large breath and releases it. Is she that readable? Does everyone think this? It is the truth, but these feelings could get both of them killed. She is openly letting the tears flow now. Val can't see her face and continues on with the plan. Telling her what will happen step by step.

"Okay since we have found the access point in the utility tunnel we should have no problem getting in."

Kate nods again.

"Then we need to make sure that there are no guards near the room he is in. If there are we have a countermeasure to use to subdue them."

Again Kate nods.

Val continues on. "Now here comes the tricky part. Rick is hurt badly. According to our source inside, he might not be able to move under his own power. So it's imperative that you find him and get him into the German officers uniform as fast as you can. His and your life depend on it. Once he is in the uniform, get him moving as fast as you can. The tunnel entrance is cleverly disguised as a broom closet in case you forget. It has a false back wall. If by any chance there is a problem getting back to the closet, the stairway is 4 feet to your right. Take the stairs and once you find the door that gives you access to the roof move to the rear of the bunker."

"Kate, are you okay?"

Kate lifts her head up and the curtain of hair now parts exposing her face and Val sees that she has been crying the entire time she has been going over the plan with her. She looks so small standing there alone. Val steps over to her and she pulls her into a gentle hug and whispers "Oh Kate it will be fine. We'll get him out. Please believe me."

Kate nods her head in Val's shoulder. She steps back a step and sees that Kate has taken control of her emotions. She even has a look of fire in her eyes now. Val finishes the rest of the plan. René is standing by the open doors and asks them

"Ladies, so are we ready to commence Operation Soaring Eagle?"

They look at each other then to René and say together "Operation Soaring Eagle?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that codename?" He asks a little offended.

Needing the humor at the moment, the girls start to laugh. René looks at them shocked and begins to turn red in the face. He thought the name was fitting. Kate recovers first and asks him if it's due to the fact that Rick is an American.

"Well, I was thinking that your love for him is soaring and yes he is an American. The Eagle is a symbol of the U.S. You think it's lame...don't you"

"No René I do not. I think that's a great name for this op." Kate says. They all head back into the suite to go over the plan one final time.

Von Herrmann dons his medical apron and mask. He opens the door to Rodgers' room and walks across the threshold. He is still strapped to the table and he's in the same position when he left about an hour ago. His body is still contorted in a grotesque position. He wonders what the doctors at the camps have up their sleeve. This looks painful even to him. And he's seen a lot.

He picks up a second syringe and pushes the plunger into the second vial of poison and draws enough into the syringe to kill a horse. Removing the needle from the vial he pushes the plunger up to relieve the air bubbles exiting the tip of the needle. Tapping it with his finger to make sure, he takes a look at Rodgers veins again finding the best location to inject him with the second level of poison. Just as he is about to puncture his skin there is a knock on the door. He looks up to see the corporal standing by the door.

"Enter."

"Sir, there is an urgent message for you in the radio room."

"Tell them I'll be there in five minutes."

"Sir, I was ordered not to leave without you."

Von Herrmann looks at Rodgers and turns to the medical tray. "Very well. Let's go."

Von Herrmann places the syringe down on the medical tray by the poison vial. As he walks away the syringe rolls towards the other bottle of clear liquid. On the label are the words _"Counter Agent for level 1 & 2 intermuscular poisons."_

Kate is in the final stages of preparation for the op. The staff uniform that she is in was hastily made. Not exactly an Anne Klein or Bonnie Cashin that would be heaven but no this uniform if you could call it that limited her movements in hand to hand combat. And it was an ugly color gray. Finally dressed Val steps over to her.

"Kate, this is a glass capsule that if needed will blind anyone within 10 feet for about 5 minutes. If you need to use it throw it at the ground hard, but make sure that your eyes are closed tightly. It releases a brilliant light and stings the optic nerve in your enemies eyes keeping their eyes closed for a while. This should give you enough time to make your escape if you need it. I am giving you two capsules. Now this is something that your friends from New Hampshire sent to us. It is something that in not even field tested yet, so I don't know if it can help you. The only problem with this is that you need to get in close to your target. Place the ring on your finger with the needle up in your palm. Strike the target like you were going to slap them. Make sure that you make contact with their skin. This is a very fast acting numbing agent. It should render them paralyzed within 3 to 5 seconds. In addition to that, you will have two service weapons. The first one will be a standard issued Luger P.08 sidearm. The second handgun you will carry concealed. It will be a compact S&W semi-automatic .45 caliber. You will need to tuck it away in the small of your back to hide it."

"What will René be doing during the rescue?"

"Since we have no way to communicate with each other while you are in the hornets nest, I will be out on the balcony watching you. If things go south I am going to have René change the scope of the mission extraction. We will be in radio contact and he will fall back to the rear of the bunker and assist you there if you need to make an escape from the roof. If access to the closet is impossible move to the nearest window and give me the victory sign. Then I'll have Rene move to the back of the bunker."

"Okay, Val can you come with me for a second?"

"Sure Kate. Uhh is everything okay?"

Kate just turns to the second bedroom of the suite hoping Val will follow without question. René starts to follow, but Val motions him to stay put. Val enters the bedroom and Kate closes the door. She walks over to the roll up desk and retrieves two envelopes. Handing them both to Val Kate says

"Val, there are two letters here. One that I need you to send to my dad and the other is for Rick. They are only to be delivered if I don't make it out of this mess."

"Kate, there is no need to be this morbid. You WILL come beck. Please don't make me do this."

Kate takes Val's hand into the both of hers. Looks into her eyes and Val sees the intense fear she is giving back to her. She has made her peace.

"Okay, Kate I'll take care of it. So are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Well let's go then, shall we?"

Von Herrmann stood in the radio room clutching the translated message. It happened about five days ago but he is just hearing about it now. It seems that he had underestimated Mr. Rodgers. The German army was sent into an ambush near the Polish/German border and at first, they thought it was a joke so after scouts were sent out and returned reporting nothing, they mounted up and started back into Germany. Before they had time to react a squadron of Douglas A-20 Havoc's from the RAF had almost destroyed all the Panzer's and killed over seventy-five percent of the ground forces. It was later found out that the British were sending out coded messages on an Enigma machine of their own. Von Herrmann knew that Rodgers was the one who had caused these losses in men and equipment. There would be no more torture. He would kill him now!

 **AN: One or two more chapters should do it. Possibly an epilogue. Thanks to everyone who has read this fic.**

 **P2P**


	11. Chapter 11

Rick closed his eyes once more hoping that his brain could combat the betrayal his muscles were presenting himself with. He needed to calm down and get off this table before Von Herrmann came back. Thoughts of agent Beckett's departure has clouded his mind, keeping him from completing this task.

Von Herrmann realized that the information Rodgers held was no longer a reason to keep him alive. It would be quick and painless. As he did with his father so long ago, now he would meet the same fate. As he left the radio room he thought of that time. He never really thought the impact of what he did back then as a kid would present him with this current situation. Hindsight! Well, he never saw this coming.

Kate had left the hotel after René gave her the final possible positions of the German guards. Emphasis on possible. Val had taken up her position on the balcony sitting on an office chair watching her walk to the Third Reich's headquarters. She blended in with the many other uniformed personnel going about their business. She walked about another 60 feet and turned left to gain access to the underground utility tunnels. Now it was all up to her.

Taking out her hastily drawn out map, Kate reviewed the best way she could access the bunkers torture chambers. The information they had put him there but she would need to search the five rooms to find him. Two were immediately in front of her when she exited the broom closet and she hoped they were empty, giving her more time to search the remaining three. Slowing to almost stand still, she looks at a concrete structure with a heavy steel door. Reaching out to take a hold of the handle she twists it down and slowly pushes it to see if it opens. It does and she quickly enters hoping not to be seen. It's dark and she takes out her flashlight to show her the way. Descending the steel stairs in front of her she moves down to the tunnel about forty feet down. There are no guards so far, but she fears that there will be more as she gets deeper into the tunnel.

At the rear of the bunker, René starts to survey the escape route they will need to take if it comes to that. He jumps up to reach the last rung of the steel caged ladder. Pulling himself up and being extra careful not to drop the bulky radio hanging from his side, he climbs up to the roof. His pack almost does not fit between his back and the cage. Luckily he will not be using this ladder to leave from the roof top. It will be hard for them to make a safe egress with a man who possibly could be injured, but they will try.

Reaching the bottom of the stairway there is a musty smell. The tunnel is not what she had thought it would be. She expected an area lager enough to walk standing upright in, this was not the case. The tunnel is no larger than a crawl space. She is able to walk in a crouched position but it will take more time to get to the stairway to the bunker than she thought. Starting out she points the flashlight towards her goal. She follows the conduit pipes above that lead to the bunker. She walks hunched over for about 600 feet. Then the tunnel becomes wider and there is more space above allowing her to stand. Straightening her German uniform jacket and checking it for cleanliness she presses on. As she approaches another steel door, she turns the handle and finds it opens easily. Carefully easing it open, it creaks a little from non-use then she slips into the landing by the bottom of the stairway.

The radio crackles to life.

"René can you hear me?"

"Val, I can hear you. What's wrong?"

"I don't have eyes on Kate yet. I have two windows to see her through and there is no sight of her. Something is seriously wrong."

"Val remember we talked about this. There might be some circumstances beyond what we had planned. Give her some more time. Just pray that she has made it to the bunker. Okay?"

"Right. I'll keep scanning for her."

Von Herrmann walks up to the door for the room where Rodgers is. He composes himself and opens the door. Walking in he notices that he looks calm, to calm for a man who is going to meet his maker. But then again what else does he have to look forward to? Picking up the syringe and the second bottle of poison he stabs the bottle once again. He depresses the plunger and the liquid in the syringe refills the bottle. After he is finished he places that bottle down and picks up the last bottle in the sequence and draws enough of the poison into the syringe to fill it up. He is not going to take any chances. He turns, sees that his victim is still looking calm. To calm if he thinks about it. Shrugging it off, he takes his left arm in his hand he searches for a good point to inject the fast acting poison. Thirty seconds and he will be dead. He will suffer because this poison attacks both respiratory and the central nervous systems simultaneously. Just as the needle is about to break the skin, an alarms sound throughout the bunker. Startling he stalls for a split second and before he can think about it Rodgers swings his right fist into Von Herrmann's cheek and jaw. As the blow connects he never imagined how large his hand was until he was hit by it full force. As he is reeling back from the strike, it gives Rick enough time to unfasten the restraints that bind his ankles. His muscles still betray him just a bit but he manages to get free.

As Von Herrmann recovers he is searching for the syringe that landed somewhere near the door. Just as he finds it he reaches for it but at the moment he was about to grab it the door swings open quickly and bombards his body back down onto the floor. He's seeing stars. Trying to get back up he is a bit sluggish and he can't counter the force of the intruder kicking him is his side. Rick is trying to get off the table but all he is able to do is fall onto the floor and landed close to the poison-filled syringe. As he was staring right into Von Herrmann's eyes he slid his arm over to Von Herrmann's arm and stabbed the needle into his arm and pushed the plunger knowing he would be dead before they left the room. The towel that was covering his manhood to give him some modesty fell off as he fell to the floor. Rick is still trying to get to his feet when he hears a medical chair slam into Von Herrmann's head. Kate then thinks he is out cold but Rick knows he will never see this world again.

"RICK!" Kate yells seeing him in nothing.

"KATE?" Rick questions.

"What are you doing here?" Looking at her like she is an angel.

"I'm here to get you out of this hellhole."

"Amen to that."

"Come on. We don't have much time.

"Do you have a plan to get us out, because I fear that I will be of little help to you."

"Babe, what did they do to you?" She asks as she picks up the towel and warps it around his waist.

"Poison comes to mind as well as injecting me with some type of bacteria. It is hard to control my muscles, so walking might be almost next to impossible."

"Oh my god! Rick are you okay? Try not to worry we have a doctor standing by at the safe house. Let's get you up off the floor and out of here."

"Fine by me!" Rick says happily.

Kate tries to get him up but he is like a sack of potatoes. German guards are running up and down the hallway right past the door. She has an idea. There is a stretcher alongside the wall. She rolls it next to Rick, pulls out the German uniform shirt from her bag and slides his arms through the sleeves. She quickly buttons up the front of the shirt she props him up into a sitting position. His head is bobbing back and forth but he seems to know what she wants to do. It takes a lot of his concertation but somehow she gets him up onto the stretcher with him helping a little. Kate draws up a blanket over his waist and stops short of his ribcage. The uniform shirt will do the rest. Rolling him to the door she is stopped by a guard that asks what's going on with this patient. Not understanding a word of German Kate walks over to the end of the stretcher and gently places her hand on the back of his neck and presses the ring needle into his skin. Three seconds later he is falling to the floor unconscious. She pulls his body clear of the stretchers path and rolls Rick out into the hallway. Turning towards the front door she starts rolling the stretcher down the hallway. Val sees Kate walking past the first window and calls René on the radio telling him that Kate is coming out the front door.

René abandons the secondary escape route and heads down the ladder. Reaching the last rung he encounters a sentry and a short hand to hand fight takes place with René subduing the sentry. He makes his way to the front of the bunker. Getting there he sees no sign of Kate and looks to see if Val can give him an update. The radio comes to life once more and she says

"René she is passing the second window. Now she is about thirty feet from the front door. Get ready."

He walks up the front steps and pulls the door open. There almost at a run he sees Kate coming towards him pushing Rick on a stretcher of all things. Just as she gets to the foyer three armed guards appear to block her path. They yell something in German and Kate draws her luger from its holster. Seeing no other way out she pushes the stretcher faster and slams it into the closest German guard and she hears his bones snapping with the force of the hit. Raising her luger, she fires at the guard directly in front of her hitting him square in the forehead. René steps behind the last guard ad uses the needle ring to take him out.

Rick is still a little out of it and almost falls off the stretcher after the collision with the guard. René grabs Rick's arms and pulls him over his shoulder and turns to leave. Kate grabs the blanket and covers Ricks legs with it. They stumble down the stairs and as luck would have it a staff car had just pulled up and two officers got out of it only minutes ago. They loaded Rick in the back seat and the two of them get in the front. Val sees them driving away and leaves the room for the front of the hotel. Kate drives like a maniac. It's amazing how they make it back to the hotel without hitting anything. Val steps off the curb and opens the door reaching in to help René pull Rick out of the back of the car.

Kate runs around to the other side of the car to help. She slips her head and shoulders under his arm and with René's help they pull him into the hotel. They climb the stairs to the second floor where the doctor is waiting for them. Laying him on the bed they leave and the doctor assesses his patient. Kate and Val are pacing the floor in front of the second suite while the doctor looks over Rick. After what felt like a lifetime, the doctor comes out of the room.

"Well there is good news and there is not so good news. First, he is going to need to be rehydrated and that will take some time. I was able to start him on fluids but he can be moved if you need to leave. Second, those German bastards have given him something that should never be given to a human being. He was injected with a raw form of bacteria. That in itself causes a whole slew of things that work against his body. His muscles and other systems would be affected and if it had gone unchecked then it would have started to affect his blood. His internal organs would start to fail one after the other."

Kate asks "Is that all doctor?"

"Well, those two items are the most serious now. However, I have administered a counter agent for the dose of poison that was in his system. He is a strong one, his body almost rejected the dose he was given. This counter agent will purge his system of anything that remains. He was lucky."

"How soon can he be moved?"

"Well to be safe I'd give it at least twelve hours and after I recheck him we'll see if he can be moved then."

"Thank-You doctor." Kate says.

"It's my pleasure. Good Night."

"Night."

She is hesitant. She knew that whoever was torturing him would use any method to extract the information they needed. She cautiously opened the door to the second room and peered in. The room was dark and she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Entering she noticed him lying still on the bed. As she got closer she noticed what she thought were tears cascading down his face. Getting closer she took a hold of his hand and his eyes shot open with what looked like regret.

"Rick, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Are you sure? You look a little withdrawn."

"I might be a little withdrawn, but I am in a better place now."

"How so Rick?"

"You remember the guy's head you opened the door into in the medical room? Well, that was Heinko von Herrmann. He was the man responsible for my father's murder. Since my father was not in a combative role, the Army had classified his death as a murder and they have been hunting down Von Herrmann for the last 18 years. Since he was with me in that damn room they no longer need hunt for him anymore."

"Babe, I'm so sorry. I never knew."

"Kate it's finally over. I can move past what he did, but I will never forget my dad. He was everything to me."

Finally getting Rick to sleep Kate left the room. Val and René were slowly packing up all the papers and maps from the rescue. She walked over to Val and took her into a tight embrace. René looked on as he packed his satchel.

"Kate, if you ever need an agent to provide back up, just pick up the phone and I'll be there." He kissed both of her cheeks and left the room.

"Kate, on the desk are two plane tickets to England. You need to leave right after the doctor gives Rick his next checkup. After that, I can't guarantee that this place will be safe for you. When you get there head directly to the U.S. Consulate in London. Go directly there no stops along the way. They will take you to the Savoy. After resting for 3 days in the Savoy, you will be flying back to the states." Val draws Kate into a hug that she knows will make her start crying.

"Val the both of you were amazing. I'm glad to call you a friend."

"I am as well Kate."

"Please tell René for me as well?"

Val just nods her answer and turns to leave Kate. Kate needs to know that he is alright. She goes to his room and looks in at his sleeping form. As she gets closer to his bed she sees that he has more color in his face. So whatever the doctor had given him must be working. She can't wait to get to the Savoy. She hopes that for the time that they're at the Savoy they will finally act on how they feel about each other. He starts to whimper a little but she can't understand what he is trying to say. She gets closer to his mouth tilts her head a little and listens and she can hear him whisper

" _It's okay mom, I got him…."_


	12. Chapter 12

**WARNING: This chapter is rated "M" Please read accordingly.**

Rick was in out of consciousness. He was doing well according to the doctor who had just left. Kate decided to heed Val's warning and leave the hotel, she did not want to press her luck. Rick was nodding off and for once she would give him the rest he needed. His body had rejected the poison and that same counter agent for the poison had actually started to combat the bacteria attacking his body. The doctor had given him a second round of aggressive antibiotics that would just about take care of the bacteria.

He would need another round of it when he arrived back in the U.S. but for now, he was well. The fever should become low grade and return to normal by the time they get to England.

He woke with a start. He was unaware of where he was. He vaguely remembered being rolled on a gurney. Looking around he did not see anything familiar. Flopping back down on the pillow he felt something wet on his bare back. Getting back up he felt the sheets and pillowcase. Both were drenched with sweat. He tries to move to the side of the bed and can't gauge depth that well, so he swings his legs over the side of the bed and falls directly onto the floor. Kate hears him fall and rushes into the room, flipping on the light and coming to a kneeling slide next to him she tries to pull him into her lap. She notices that he is soaking wet.

"Rick, what is it? Why are you so wet?"

"Kate, I'm sorry I tried to get up to change the sheets and I couldn't really see anything."

Fearing the worst Kate asks, "Rick you can't see?"

He blinks a couple of times and replies "Kate, I think I see a very beautiful woman in front of me who has my heart."

He draws her into a hug but before things can get any further, Kate pushes him back.

"Babe, your drenched. Which means the antibiotics the doctor gave you last night have broken your fever. Let's get you changed into some dry clothes and then we're leaving. It will be sunlight soon so let's get going. Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm okay."

Kate leaves to give Rick some privacy. As she left she thought about kissing him but decided against it because they really needed to leave. Gathering up the plane tickets and any leftover papers that were in association with the rescue, she packs them into her bag. Ten minutes later Rick looks around the room that they were in. It still amazes him how they were right under the German's noses and they were never found.

As they were pulling up to the airfield the base commander escorted them to the plane. As they walked up the portable stairway, she thanked him for his help. The flight was just under four and a half hours. Rick wanted to talk with Kate to find out how she came to save him. He knew nothing about the path she took to find him, plan a daring rescue, and on top of everything get him out of there…. alive! It was a relief and when he sat in the seat before he knew it he was fast asleep forgetting any questions he needed to ask her. The last thing he remembered was Kate's hand caressing the side of his face telling him to sleep.

To Rick, the four-hour flight felt more like 30 seconds. Kate was gently shaking his arm in an attempt to wake him. His eyes shot open and he immediately looked to find her eyes. Finding them she noticed his fear and leaned in and kissed him. At first, he was hesitant but he softened to the feel of her lips on his. Tender and loving, she needed to break away and finish this at the hotel.

"Come on Rick, let's get out of here."

In no time, they are ushered to the Consulate. They are given cover stories to explain why they are here in London. They have three days to recover from this mission. Before that though the British needed to know everything they uncovered while they were in Germany. The debrief lasted close to three hours and well let's say the British were very happy with the outcome of the mission. So much so that they had decided to drop the charges against Kate for switching places with a British national to save Rick. Keeping their word, the two were taken out to a waiting staff car and left the meeting. In the car, they were talking easily with each other. Kate told Rick a little about how she came to rescue him, but after that, she kept quiet about the roles that Val and René played. Driving through the streets of London they are sickened by the destruction the Luftwaffe has brought down on this country. And by the looks of things, it might get a lot worse.

They arrive at the Savoy. Kate and Rick checked in and the room that they were given was one that royalty should have been in. It was so large. All the possibly amenities of the time were available to them. Kate dropped her bag and looked over to Rick, reached out for him. He came willingly and she embraced him in an all-around body hug. She never wanted to let him go. One thing led to another and before they both knew it she was begging Rick to make love to her.

He took his time with her. She was a goddess, and he was going to treat her as such. Gently removing her clothes, she was trembling all over. To her, his touch sent what felt like a bolt of lightning throughout her whole body every time he touched her. Tiny goosebumps rose in the wake of his touch along her bare midsection. She gasped and welcomed his touch. Placing his arm behind her back, and the other under her legs he picked her up bridal style and walked her over to the bed. Placing her in the middle of the bed he stepped back and removed his pants and shirt and tank top tee shirt, leaving him only in a pair of boxers. Kate looked at his body. She cringed when she noticed the wounds that were still healing. _"My god Rick, what did they do to you?"_ Shaking that thought out of her head he was here with her and he was all man and she wanted him inside of her so bad it hurt. He knelt down onto the bed and Kate closed her eyes. Before too long she felt him caress her hips and slide his thumbs between her skin and her nylon panties. He tenderly slid his hands effortlessly down the length of her long legs the panties following along for the ride. Caressing her all over he wanted a blank canvas to admire. So his hands reached up and over her stomach then along her ribcage Hearing her groan when he did so. Rick slid his hands under her bra to cup her warm full breasts. Her bra fell to the side of the bed with the rest of her shed clothes. The sounds she had made stirred something primal inside him.

His heart was beating so hard he thought it would burst right out of his chest. She was beautiful. He had heard some men say that most women looked their best with clothes on, with Kate this was not true. She looked perfect period nude or clothed. He grazed his hand over her breast. Within seconds, there was a reaction. He quickly monopolized on it. His mouth covered her left nipple and areola. Not wanting its mate to feel alone he pinched her other nipple between his index finger and thumb resulting in a low and primal sound coming from her throat. He wanted to give her everything. He teased her a little more before he noticed that her hips were searching for a certain type of friction. They were small movements up and down and back and forth, but he noticed. He sucked and licked both of her breasts. So much so that she had slid her hand alongside one and started to push her breast more into his mouth. Who was he to deny her? So he gave her what she craved. Feeling the need to breathe he slowed his teasing, for now, he took a couple of deep breaths and kissed along her rib cage. She grabbed his head in protest to stop any more ministrations knowing exactly what he had in mind. He gently grasped her hands and secured them both together. He continued down the slope of her stomach and then to the center of her abdomen. He was mapping out her body. He started to lick around her mons veneris and she became more animated with her hips searching for his talented tongue. What he found out pleasantly he might add was that she was devoid of any hair in this area. It only made him enjoy her that much more. He took the chance that what he was doing now was something that she wanted him to do, so he released her hands. He was right in his decision because her hands found each side of his head and she guided him where she needed him the most.

To say that Kate tasted sweet was an understatement. Her come was the nectar of the gods. He greedily licked up everything she offered to him. He gave her a rest and then decided to make her come again. He started by parting her inner lips, then he carefully caressed her clitoris with his tongue. She raised her hips and ground against his face and it was then when he could really pleasure her. She was dripping wet, and he remembered back to before this all started when Rodger had called her frigid. So not the case here.

He inserted two fingers into her and worked them in and out while still paying attention to her clitoris with his mouth. It was not long before he had her ass moving higher off the bed searching for release. Then it all came to the final explosion. Her whole body was shaking. He rose from her and looked into her eyes and what he saw was total euphoria. Her body collapsed away from him onto the bed.

She was a mess. No man had ever done these things to her. It made her feel like they were made for each other. However, she was a bit perplexed. He was still in his boxers. Had he not enjoyed their pleasure together?

"Babe?" She said with a ragged breath.

"Kate, is something wrong? Did I hurt you?" Rick looked down in shame thinking she was disappointed.

"On the contrary, I have never had an orgasm so powerful and so fulfilling in my life! I'm in heaven Babe!"

Rick was not understanding what the problem was. So he looked to her once again.

"Okay Kate, that's a good thing right?" Still unsure of himself.

"RICK! The bed shifted as Kate leaned forward and she placed her finger on his lips to get him to shut up.

"Please be quiet for just a minute…. alright?"

Rick nods yes.

"Babe, you are beautiful. You have brought me to the top of the mountain and then I came crashing down it, in the best way possible."

Rick looks at her with a slight scowl. Still not understanding.

"Don't you see? You pleased me and all the while you're still in your boxers!"

Rick points to her finger still covering his lips asking silently if he can talk now. She lets her finger drop from his lips.

He thinks for a minute before he opens his mouth to speak.

"Kate, being raised by a single mother, I was not exposed to how men treated women. I was led to believe that a woman's needs will always be taken care of before a man's needs. Granted my mother had told me about what happens between a man and woman when they have feelings towards each other, but she very vague about it and was either too embarrassed by it or she just could not bother with it."

"Oh Rick, no that's not how it works. Listen to me, if we are going to be in this together we need to be one when we make love. Babe, this is not a one-way street. You need to enjoy it too."

Rick looks away in shame. Kate raises her hand and takes his chin in her hand and turns his head towards her.

"Rick, there's no shame in what you did here. I loved it. I love you. Now can we please try this again….without the boxers?"

Rick looks at her and she sees that tears have now started rolling down his face.

"Hey Babe, what's wrong?"

"You love me?"

"With all of my heart. I was so afraid that I was never going to find you. I was dying on the inside."

Kate sits up and gets closer to him knowing that being close to him will ease his fears a little. She envelops herself around him and his skin against her skin charges her whole body once again. So much she shudders and Rick thinks it's because she's cold so he pulls the sheet over the both of them. Her hand drops to his inner thigh and she caresses his erection through the material of his boxers. She knew that he was ready because he was rock hard. She slowly guides her hand to the waistband of his boxers and slips it between his abdomen and his shorts. All she can feel is an endless shaft. She quietly gasps because she really thinks that he will split her in half, but now after touching him she really needs to find out if that's the truth. She moves back down along his shaft and cups his sack. He jumps at this but recovers quickly giving her an evil smirk. Kate throws off the sheet and pushes him back onto the bed. Grabbing the hem of his boxers she tries to pull them down off his body. As she does his face grimaces a bit so she stops. She gives him a look of caution on her face.

"Kate it's okay. It was just the way you were pulling off the boxers. It kind of bent it so to say."

"Jesus Rick, just how big are you?"

"Kate, I'm not that long, you could say average but what I lack in length I definitely make up for with girth!"

"Getting cocky are we?" She teases.

"Oh no, but you'll find out soon enough."

Rick takes Kate by her shoulders and he comes into a sitting position. He raises Kate up and places her facing him also in the sitting position. She strokes him just to keep him hard. He lifts her up and lets her hover over him. He gently slides her on top of him. He hesitates for a second at her entrance so she can get her muscles accustomed to his size. It takes a while but he is finally into her to his hilt. She bites down on the top of his shoulder to stop herself from screaming and wraps her legs around his back. After a second, she gyrates against him still getting used to his size. She knows that it won't take long in this position for her to climax again. She starts to move up and down slightly and then finally fully adjusting to him she speeds things up. She places both hands on his shoulders and arched he back away from him exposing all of her to him. He reaches up and supports her back with one hand and he works on her breast with the other. Something spurs deep inside of her as he touched her breast and she starts to move even faster. Seeing that she is almost ready to come apart, he starts to meet her thrusts with his own. She can't hold it off any longer.

"Babe, I'm so close. Come with me PLEASEEEEEE."

She goes over the edge once more and as she does he takes her into his arms and holds her tightly close to him. She is trembling in his hold and just then he thrusts one final time into her. His release sets her off again and she finally collapses into him a sweaty, tired, mess. He supports her for what feels like days. She is nestled in the crook of his neck not caring that they are still naked. He is an amazing lover. She starts to regain her senses and she moves back from him and looks into his baby blues.

"You really are beautiful."

"Kate."

"Yeah, Rick?"

"I Love You too."

Their breathing returns to somewhat normal and they head to the shower. Starting the water, they explore each other some more but fall short of actually making love. Soon they are in bed falling asleep in each other's arms. Morning arrives, and the fun starts again before they have time to eat. In the three days that they are at the Savoy, they only left the room once. They ventured out to a 5-star restaurant and had a great meal. It was the last time they were outside. The next day they were checking out and catching a plane back to the U.S.

Kate and Rick had done the impossible. Given their improbability of actually completing this mission, they had given MI-6 the means to further decipher the coded messages the German's were sending to each other. By sheer luck, they had found out about battles that the German Army was gearing up for. Giving the allied forces the upper hand and saving lives. Then in early in June of 1944, they were able to save an infinite number of allied troops when they sent misdirection messages to totally confuse the Third Reich about the Normandy invasion. It worked and Mr. Rodgers and Ms. Beckett were awarded the country's highest medal for their accomplishments within the OSS. The Congressional Gold Medal. After returning back to the U.S. they were welcomed home by staff and friends, but there was no ticker tape parade, no dinner with the president, and they were to remain quiet about what they had done because their mission was top secret. They are still waiting for their award….

 **Epilogue to follow.**


	13. Epilouge

Time. It defines us. We think that we will accomplish everything that we have planned during our lifetime. Time presents us with deadlines that we can meet, and then there are some we fail to complete entirely. Very quickly the time we thought we had evaporates right before our eyes, leaving us empty so to speak.

Seventy-four years have gone by since the night we spent at the Savoy. The goals we wanted since that day were ones that we thought were attainable moving forward, except maybe just one. The passionate night we spent making love resulted in the birth of our first son. He was beautiful. A combination of the both of us. Growing up to be as smart or dare we say even smarter than his father. He had no problem finding and dating women. His looks coming from his mother were along the lines of an Adonis.

After returning to the states, they were wed in a simple ceremony. His mother and her parents were in attendance. It was a very small affair. Kate stayed with the OSS right up until President Truman signed executive order 9621 terminating the OSS. Making sure the transformation into the newly formed agency was complete, she retired in July of 1946. In the fall of 1946, Kate was happy to find out that they were going to have their second child. After a long and tiring delivery, they welcomed a baby girl into their family.

Rick had taken up teaching. To him, it was something he thought he could give back freely. Knowledge. He applied to teach at MIT. And in the spring of 1945, he was hired as a probationary professor. He taught a wide range of topics. Everything from mathematics to science. He was happy to shape young minds with what he knew. He had attained tenure 5 years later. It was not until later in his life when the consequences of what happened in Berlin so long ago came back to haunt him. His body had been through a trauma that no one could foresee. Over time, his respiratory system had deteriorated. It had been compromised by Von Herrmann. The bacteria had caused some shortness of breath. However, with proper treatment twice a month, a sensible diet, and plenty of exercise he could manage and live a semi-normal life.

The world moves on. The events of the times had shown them that no matter how governments acted towards each other the threat of war looms in the future. Right now they were staying neutral with the chaos that involved the Viet Nam war. Their son had shown an interest in becoming a pilot and Rick told him that he need to follow his heart. Kate, on the other hand, wanted no part of him risking his life fighting someone else's war. In the end, she relented and their son became a fighter pilot.

Their daughter, on the other hand, always wanted to give back to the community. At a young age, she was always trying to figure out how people lived their lives with the people who governed them. She had a degree from NYU in political science. And she minored in business. She had accepted a position as a campaign manager for Kevin Whites mayoral run in 1967. When he was elected mayor of Boston in November of 67, after he won she had graciously bowed out of his campaign and became an assistant to Louise Day Hicks. As she learned the ins and outs of Boston's politics she bided her time. She would follow in Louisa's footsteps. In 1973 she announced that she would run for Louise's seat in U.S. House of Representatives representing Massachusetts' 9th District. After a nail-biting recount, she had won the seat.

They could not have been more proud of either of their children. Time has since moved on. Rick retired from MIT in early 1988. At the time he retired he had taught brilliantly for the last 43 years. With all of their obligations settled they lived happily in Cambridge. Their son Paul had attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he retired after 27 years of honorable service. Alexis their daughter was now a senator. She was busy running her third bid for the job once again. Their children had arrived at their home for a dinner planned months ago. Their house was full and loud once again. Grandchildren were all over and with this visit they were finally able to meet their first great-grandchild. Emily Rose Rodgers.

After dinner, Rick pulled Paul aside into the living room and thanked him for letting him meet his great granddaughter. They both took seats and without Kate's help he would be here until he went to bed. Climbing stairs was not a task he did very well. They talked about everything from being a father to the military. Rick had retired about 21 years ago and he always had been kept well informed of his children's activities. With dinner now done and goodbyes being said it was time for them to go. Soon the house was quiet once again. She never regretted meeting him all those years ago. She knew that he was the one for her. They had done everything they set out to do. Whatever challenges faced them they conquered them head on. They led a good life. They were happy.

Kate helped Rick up the stairs to bed. Soon he would need to be restricted to the first floor but for now, she gladly helped him. Then she got ready for bed as well. Slipping under the comforter beside him was still the best feeling in the world for her. She loved him with her whole heart. It did not take long for them to fall into a deep sleep. About 5 hours Kate woke with a start. She got out of bed and looked at the form of her husband lying there. She looked over to the bedroom's fireplace mantle and like a movie in slow motion, she skimmed over all the pictures that graced the top of it. Pictures of them being carefree with their children, one of Paul in his high school cap and gown, Alexis with her tongue sticking out at the corner of her mouth thinking about an answer for a homework problem, Kate and Rick holding their first grandchild, a family portrait with everyone. The final two pictures were one of them sitting on their wrap around porch rocking gently enjoying the sunshine. The other was just of them and all their children on their 60th wedding anniversary.

He was frail but being 97 years old he still lived his life like every day would be his last. Carefree and unreserved. She loved him for that. He was 32 when they met and she was just 27. She looked into the mirror and wondered where all the time went. Time, it took everything from you without you even knowing it. She slipped under the comforter once again. Reaching for his hand knowing it would be cold to the touch she intertwined their fingers together, leaned over him and kissed him tenderly. Returning to her side of the bed Kate closed her eyes for the last time, her heart stopping almost as soon as she closed her eyes.

In life as in death, they will be together…. Always.

~Fin~

 **A/N: As of the end of this story Congress has still not passed a bill that would honor all the men and women of the OSS who risked their lives getting secret information into the right hands. The award I mentioned in this story is real, it's the Congressional Gold Medal. If they drag their feet long enough deciding how to vote, it won't matter since there will be no members of the OSS left alive to give it to!**

 **Thanks for all who faved, followed and left me reviews. I had a great time writing this and I hope that you really enjoyed reading it as well!**

 **P2P**


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